There are currently many known solutions for making the nursing of infants more comfortable for the infants and their mothers. However, these current solutions have problems and, in many cases, their function may be improved.
One such solution is a pillow with a half doughnut shape. Because of the semi-round shape, a nursing mother can only lean her arm on the pillow, and cannot place a baby to lie on the pillow while nursing. This causes back and arm pain for the mother because the full or partial weight of the baby is on her arms for a prolonged period of time while feeding the baby. Furthermore, if the baby is placed on the pillow, the baby tends to roll into the space between the mother and the pillow or roll away from the mother and off the pillow. The thickness of the pillow cannot be adjusted; therefore, it may work for some mothers and may not work for others. This pillow is also very inconvenient to carry in public and use away from home. Another known solution is an inflatable pillow with a half doughnut shape. Being inflatable enables the pillow to be height adjustable, and the pillow has a waist strap that keeps the pillow in a fixed position. However, since this pillow is inflatable, if there is not enough air in the pillow, it may not provide adequate support and if there is too much air in the pillow, it may be too rigid. Also, the baby may roll off of the pillow.
Another known solution is a fiber-filled nursing pillow. Since this pillow is filled with fiber, it has somewhat of an irregular shape and may provide unevenly distributed support for the baby. Furthermore, this pillow has no means for preventing the baby from rolling off of the pillow. Also, this pillow is inconvenient to carry and use outside the home and has no means for remaining in place on the mother during use.
Yet another currently known solution is a nursing pillow with a permanently attached cover. However, the nursing cover only partially covers the mother and only offers partial privacy. When the nursing cover is permanently attached to the nursing pillow, there is an inconvenience of having to use the nursing cover when it is not really needed, for example, at home or alone.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved techniques for providing a breastfeeding and nursing pillow that is easily portable, height adjustable, has a safety border, and is comfortable for the baby and the mother.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.